Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5

We have some rabbits in our garage, which belong to our grandchildren. They named one of them Cotton and the other Chubby Cutie. One day I went into the garage and discovered that Chubby Cutie and Cotton were loose and hopping around. I tried to catch them while I maneuvered around the things in my garage. Thankfully my grandson, Christopher, managed to grab them. We quickly returned Cotton and Chubby Cutie to their cage and secured their little door.

We all have a door, of sorts, in our lives. If we leave that door open, bad things can come in. We start by guarding our minds. We decide what thoughts will be allowed to take residence in our minds. All kinds of thoughts come to us all the time. They can be bad thoughts, good thoughts, horrible thoughts, or wonderful thoughts. We decide what is coming in and what isn’t.

That’s why the Bible tells us to “[bring] every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5 NKJV). If you give the devil an inch, he will take a mile. Don’t have any conversations with the devil. The Bible says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7 NKJV).

We also need to guard our mouths. Often we say something or tweet something or post something, and once it’s out, we wonder why we said it. We would do well to pray, as David did, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3 NKJV).

Before you speak, apply the acronym THINK: Is it truthful? Is it helpful? Is it inspiring? Is it necessary? Is it kind? You might be thinking, “If I applied that principle, then I would basically say nothing.” So be it.